Calculate daily calorie needs using BMR and TDEE
Built & maintained by Pappu Venkata Subbi Reddy, founder of Clacify · Updated July 2026 · Formulas verified against official Indian government sources
The Calorie Calculator estimates how many calories you burn each day — your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) — and how many you should eat to lose, maintain, or gain weight. Enter your age, sex, height, weight, and activity level, and it computes your Basal Metabolic Rate (the energy your body uses at rest) and scales it by your activity to give your daily calorie need. It then suggests target intakes for a steady, sustainable rate of weight change. This is the foundation of any evidence-based diet plan: weight change is driven by the balance between calories consumed and calories burned.
Basal Metabolic Rate is computed with the Mifflin-St Jeor equation: for men, BMR = 10×weight(kg) + 6.25×height(cm) − 5×age + 5; for women, the constant is −161 instead of +5. BMR is multiplied by an activity factor — 1.2 (sedentary), 1.375 (light), 1.55 (moderate), 1.725 (very active), or 1.9 (extra active) — to get TDEE, your maintenance calories. For weight loss, a deficit of about 500 calories/day yields roughly 0.5 kg per week (since ~7,700 calories ≈ 1 kg of fat); for gain, a similar surplus is applied. These are estimates — individual metabolism varies, so adjust based on real-world results.
| Activity level | Maintain weight | Lose ~0.5 kg/week |
|---|---|---|
| Sedentary (desk job) | 2,039 kcal | 1,539 kcal |
| Lightly active | 2,336 kcal | 1,836 kcal |
| Moderately active | 2,633 kcal | 2,133 kcal |
| Very active | 2,931 kcal | 2,431 kcal |
Computed with the Mifflin-St Jeor equation (BMR ≈ 1,699 kcal) × activity factor. The "lose" column applies a 500-kcal daily deficit ≈ 0.5 kg fat loss per week. Women and other body sizes will differ — enter your own details in the calculator.
Your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) is the energy your body burns at complete rest — just keeping you alive. Multiply it by an activity factor and you get your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) — your true maintenance calories. Every diet, however it's branded, works only if it puts you below this number. Knowing your TDEE turns "eat less" from a guess into a concrete daily target, which is why it's the first thing any evidence-based plan establishes.
Roughly 7,700 calories equal one kilogram of body fat. So a daily deficit of about 500 calories yields close to 0.5 kg of loss per week — a sustainable pace that preserves muscle. Bigger deficits work faster but are harder to maintain and risk muscle loss and rebound. For the sedentary man in the table, that means eating ~1,539 kcal against a 2,039 kcal maintenance — a modest, livable cut rather than a crash diet.
Calories decide weight; protein decides whether you lose fat or muscle. Aim for roughly 1.6–2.2 g of protein per kg of body weight when in a deficit to protect lean mass. The calculator gives you the calorie target; pair it with adequate protein, resistance training, and enough sleep for the best body-composition results. Recalculate every few kilograms, since your TDEE falls as your weight drops.
To lose weight, aim to eat 500 calories below your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure). For most Indian adults, this means 1,500–1,800 calories per day for women and 1,800–2,200 for men depending on activity level. Avoid going below 1,200 cal/day (women) or 1,500 cal/day (men) without medical supervision.
BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) is the calories your body burns at rest to maintain basic functions. Mifflin-St Jeor formula: Men: BMR = 10 × weight(kg) + 6.25 × height(cm) − 5 × age + 5. Women: BMR = 10 × weight(kg) + 6.25 × height(cm) − 5 × age − 161.